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2016 NCAA Mens Basketball Championship


Villanova VS North Carolina Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 4/4/2016


I am still speechless by all the lead changes and buzzer beaters. Villanova led by 7 at one point in the first half only to trail by seven at halftime.


Villanova rallied back and took a 12 point lead in the second half only to watch North Carolina tie it at 74 with 4.7 seconds left. Then Villanova hit a game winning 3 point shot as the confetti exploded all over the court after Kris Jenkins hit a clutch shot that solidified his legacy at Villanova.


Villanova is now your new champion. Congrats to the Wildcats. Villanova has no NBA prospects on their roster so it was great to see them beat a team with 5 NBA prospects in North Carolina winning as underdogs. We could see Duke over Villanova next year if I had to pick at this point, but Villanova needs to savor this moment and cherish the moment, since their victory still feels surreal at this point.


This was such a great game. This game felt like one of those buzzer beater finishes you saw in the 80's during a March Madness Championship game. I don't think we will see a nail-biter of this magnitude for years. This was a fantastic basketball game by both teams.




Final 4 Recaps


Syracuse VS North Carolina Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 4/2/2016


Syracuse impressed early. North Carolina ran away with this game in the second half though. North Carolina winning the way they did wasn't a surprise. I think the biggest surprise during Final 4 weekend was that both Villanova and North Carolina won by double digits.


Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson played well at center and power forward. Both guys used their physical presence to take away the front court for Syracuse in the second half after Syracuse got some early fastbreaks.


This tournament began with 68 teams. Now Villanova and North Carolina are the only two teams with one game remaining.



Villanova VS Oklahoma Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 4/2/2016


Villanova went from upset against Kansas in the Elite 8 to statement win in the Final 4. Villanova won 95-51 unleashing a statement win. North Carolina headed into Monday as 3 point favorites prior to the second game, but now North Carolina is only favored by 2 following the win.





Elite 8 Recaps


Notre Dame VS North Carolina Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/26/2016


This game went back and fourth in the first half. North Carolina eventually began to run away with it with 5 minutes left in the first half.


Notre Dame rallied back early in the second half. Despite this North Carolina regained momentum. Notre Dame ran out of timeouts with 7 and a half minutes remaining in the second half with North Carolina up by 9. This allowed the Tar Heels to play conservative as long as they made defensive stops, which they did.


Demetrius Jackson had 25 points and outplayed Marcus Paige at point guard. Brice Johnson had 26 points for North Carolina though, and played a pivotal role in the Tar Heels return to the 2016 Final 4.



Villanova VS Kansas Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/25/2016


Villanova's upset win was pretty big. I'm impressed that they knocked off Kansas and will now play Oklahoma in the Final 4. Kansas was competitive and they deserve credit for rallying back and making it close. Villanova was clutch near the end of the game though.



Oklahoma VS Oregon Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/26/2016


Oregon never had a chance. Oklahoma's guards combined for 50 of the Sooners 80 points. Point guard Jordan Woodard had 13 points. Shooting guard Buddy Hield had a mind boggling 37 points. Hield has done enough to convince me he's a top 3 pick and is honestly in the same discussion with Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram to be the top pick. Hield has just been that impressive this month and could be the first senior to be drafted first overall since Tim Duncan in 1997.





Sweet 16 Recaps


Indiana VS North Carolina Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/25/2016


This was the most hyped game of all the Sweet 16 matches. It was also the biggest let down as North Carolina ran away with this win. The Tar Heels had everyone in their starting five score 14 points. The Tar Heels are just such a complete team this year as Marcus Paige posted 21 points while Brice Johnson had 20 points in North Carolina's win over Indiana. Now the Tar Heels will face Notre Dame in the Elite 8.



Gonzaga VS Syracuse Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/25/2016


Domantas Sabonis had 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 blocks despite getting triple teamed by Syracuse? Did we mention 10 of those 17 rebounds were defensive rebounds?


There's no denying how impressive Sabonis was. The bottom line is Syracuse was hungrier as now they will face Virginia in the Elite 8.



Wisconsin VS Notre Dame Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/25/2016


Demetrius Jackson 16 points in Notre Dame's narrow win over Wisconsin. It looked like Wisconsin would win, but Notre Dame scored in the final seconds of a nail biter to advance to the Elite 8.



Duke VS Oregon Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/24/2016


Brandon Ingram had 24 points despite being double teamed by Oregon's forwards. It's sort of impressive that Ingram scored that much despite being double teamed. Oregon will face Oklahoma in the Elite 8.



Maryland VS Kansas Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/24/2016


Maryland actually did well during the first half of this game. I still think they are the better team.


Kansas deserved this win. Maryland had to deal with foul trouble in the second half with Diamond Stone and Melo Trimble both getting into foul trouble. Rasheed Sulaimon injured his knee in the second half at shooting guard after Maryland's center and point guard got into foul trouble.


Small forward Jake Layman and power forward Robert Carter struggled to defend Perry Ellis. Ellis had 27 points and showed why he deserves to be a first round prospect in the 22-30 range by defeating Maryland in such convincing fashion. Kansas will face Villanova in the Elite 8 for a trip to the Final 4.



Texas A&M VS Oklahoma Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/24/2016


Buddy Hield continues to dominate. He didn't score as much, but he did post a double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.





Round of 32 Recaps


Hawaii VS Maryland Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/20/2016


Hawaii kept this close in the first half only down one point with Maryland ahead 28-27 at halftime. Maryland ran away with this game in the second half.


Melo Trimble had 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Maryland's point guard was phenomenal against Hawaii. Center Diamond Stone had 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal. Stone was a defensive presence against the Warriors. He also got charged with 4 fouls.


Maryland is talented enough to beat Kansas in the Sweet 16. Trimble has to play this well against Kansas and Stone has to avoid foul trouble. Those two things have to happen in order for Maryland to win over Kansas.



Virginia Commonwealth VS Oklahoma Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/20/2016


Buddy Hield delivered once again. Hield had 36 points with 7 points in the first half and 29 points in the second half. Hield is playing like a top 5 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. Hield will face the Northern Iowa VS Texas A&M winner in the Sweet 16.



Stephen F. Austin VS Notre Dame Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/20/2016


Demetrius Jackson had 18 points. Jackson was huge in Notre Dame's win into the Sweet 16.


Stephen F. Austin rallied back and gave Notre Dame a huge scare. Notre Dame hit a game winning shot with 1.6 seconds left to give Notre Dame a narrow 76-75 win over Stephen F. Austin.



Providence VS North Carolina Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/19/2016


Providence was very competitive in this game for the first 30 minutes. Kris Dunn had to carry Providence against North Carolina. Dunn had 16 points in the first half, as Providence only trailed 34-30 at halftime. The game was tied at 43 at one point and it looked like Providence would lead 45-43.


North Carolina prevailed, but Providence point guard Kris Dunn cannot be faulted. I expected Dunn to receive a lot of double teams and triple teams and be limited to 12 points. Dunn finished this game with 29 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Dunn had 8 more points than any starter on Providence or North Carolina.


Dunn is an offensive threat every time he touches the ball. He allowed Marcus Paige to score 12 points, committed 4 turnovers, and was charged with 4 fouls. Dunn's game needs some defensive work. Despite losing to Providence, Dunn did everything in his power to convince NBA Scouts he's worthy of a top 5 pick.


Brice Johnson led North Carolina with 21 points. North Carolina was tested in this game. They pulled away in the end, because they had more overall talent than Providence along with Kris Dunn's foul trouble. This game may have been a lot closer and possibly ended with Providence winning if he had stayed out of foul trouble. Dunn was that money. The bottom line is the Tar Heels were the better team and now they will play Indiana in the Sweet 16.



Gonzaga VS Utah Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/19/2016


Domatas Sabonis won the one on one matchup against the 7-1 250 lb Jakob Poeltl. Sabonis had 19 points and 10 rebounds while Poeltl was limited to 5 points and 4 rebounds thanks to excellent defense by Sabonis in one-on-one situations. When Sabonis was on the bench, Poeltl received double teams and he could never get anything going.


I was worried about Poeltl since I picked Gonzaga in my bracket. In the end, Gonzaga threw Poeltl off his game and this game makes me question the idea of taking Poeltl in the top 2. I think you can even make a case for taking Poeltl in the top 10 possibly ahead of Poeltl now.



Indiana VS Kentucky Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/19/2016


The matchup between Thomas Bryant and Skal Labissiere at center was the one-on-one matchup that would dictate this game. Bryant had 19 points and 5 rebounds. Labissiere got held to 4 points as Bryant did a great job defending him.


Bryant did a great job in this game. Bryant showed why he deserves to be considered a lottery pick. He also showed why drafting Skal Labissiere is not a top 20 prospect even if he declares after his freshman season, even though Labissiere should return to school hoping to get better in 2016.



Yale VS Duke Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/19/2016


Duke won this game in the first half with their 3 point shooting. That's the biggest reason why they advanced.


Grayson Allen, Brandon Ingram, Luke Kennard, and Marshall Plumlee step up. Kennard was huge early in the game. It was Allen's 29 points, Ingram's 25 points, and Plumlee's 10 rebounds that helped Duke win.


Yale did a great job building momentum. Let's face it though, they never had a chance against Duke after the Blue Devils' took control of this game in the first half with all of their 3 pointers.



Wichita State VS Miami FL Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/19/2016


Miami took a 27-6 lead over Wichita State in the first half. Wichita State rallied back to make it a 43-42 game. Miami retook the lead 44-43 and never surrendered the lead from that point forward in a 65-57 win.


Miami FL point guard Angel Rodriguez had 28 points, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 rebounds. Rodriguez dominated on offense for the Hurricanes. He's not NBA material though.


He's only 5-11 180 lbs and Rodriguez committed 7 of the teams 16 turnovers. Rodriguez would be a fun player to watch in the NBA D League. I think a team like the expansion team Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls new NBA D League team could use Rodgriguez as a point guard.




Round of 64 Recaps


South Dakota State VS Oklahoma Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/18/2016


South Dakota State faced Oklahoma. The Sooners had this game, but South Dakota State impressed early with a 6-0 lead.


After that, it was all Sooners. The biggest reason South Dakota State remained in this game was due to some of their scoring runs they made throughout the game.


The other reason this game was close was due to Buddy Hield's slow start. It's hard to believe Hield began this game 1/7 before going 7/7 finishing the game 8/14 with 27 points. Hield also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Hield may have struggled early in this game even with a few turnovers and fouls, but the bottom line is he got hot at the right time and that's the biggest reason Oklahoma put this game out of reach.


Oklahoma faces Virginia Commonwealth without Shaka Smart on Sunday. If they beat the Rams they may get to face Shaka Smart and his new team Texas, one of Oklahoma's biggest rivals in the Sweet 16 depending on what happens.



Middle Tennessee State VS Michigan State Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/18/2016


Middle Tennessee State won this game. This was an upset of epic proportions. The biggest reason this was such a monumental win for Middle Tennessee State was mainly due to many people including myself making the case for Michigan State being a 1 seed after winning the Big 10 tournament.


In many ways it felt like a 16 seed making history by beating a one seed. I'm not sure Middle Tennessee State will make the Sweet 16 like Florida Gulf Coast did in 2013. That doesn't matter. You knew that an upset may occur as soon as Middle Tennessee State took a 15-2 lead in the first half.


The bottom line is they won and pulled off a huge upset. It's almost like the horse on the Blue Raiders logo crapped on everyones March Madness and took a huge dump on Sparty. It literally feels that way after such a shocker.


Okay that image is offensive and grotesque. It's more like the horse struck lightning on everyones brackets. Middle Tennessee had all five of their starters score double digit points. When your team clicks like that and you avoid turnovers you have a good chance of winning. If the other team makes a lot of mistakes it goes from having a good chance of winning to a great chance of winning.


That's exactly what happened today. Denzel Valentine did have a double double with 13 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds. Sure he looked good on paper. He wasn't flawless though. Valentine was just as guilty of making mistakes in a game where he had 6 turnovers and 4 fouls. You have to take the good and the bad when assessing Valentine today.


Many expected Michigan State's shooting guard to dominate leading up to todays tournament. That didn't happen though as Middle Tennessee State pulled off a huge upset. The biggest reason Middle Tennessee State won is Reggie Upshaw. Upshaw could make the 2017 NBA Draft if he returns for his senior year. Right now Upshaw and company need to savor this victory and then spend tonight preparing for Syracuse on Sunday.



Hawaii VS California Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/18/2016


Hawaii deserved to win this game. They outplayed California and made all the correct decisions. That being said, the biggest reason California lost was due to small forward Jaylen Brown.


While Jared Goff, was tearing up at California's Pro Day for the NFL Draft, which coincidentally took place on the same day as California's brutal loss. Jaylen Brown had the worst game of his career. He went 1/6 with 4 points, fouled out, and had 7 of California's 16 turnovers. Brown was so ineffective it makes you wonder if he was paid to throw the game. That's how little Brown contributed.


Hawaii needs to savor this win and prepare for Sunday now. Maryland will be a lot tougher. That being said, if Hawaii uses this extra time to prepare I think they will keep it close with Maryland. The Warriors are capable of testing Maryland early if they prepare. In the end, Maryland will win if they don't become the latest 5 seed to lose like Baylor and Purdue.


Hawaii has a chance to go to the Sweet 16 if they draw South Dakota State or if they can get Maryland's starters in foul trouble. That's the biggest reason they advanced today even though Warriors' fans hate hearing that down in Hawaii.



Providence VS USC Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


This was the only game with an epic photo finish outside of the double overtime game where Little Rock upset Purdue. Baylor was closing in on Yale. Yale was too determined and they deserved to advance for standing their ground. At the same time, the mystery of Baylor's lack of rebounding still amazes and puzzles me beyond belief.


Back to Providence VS USC. There is one reason I picked Providence over USC in a landslide edge. Point guard Kris Dunn. Dunn had 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Dunn threw a few turnovers on passes and committed four turnovers.


Providence's forwards mainly Ben Bentil and Rodney Bullock deserve credit for aiding Dunn on an off night for him. While Dunn did play well, he got careless at times and didn't dominate like usual. Bentil led the Friars with 19 points while Bullock posted a great double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Keep an eye on Bentil and Bullock the next two years. Both forwards are sophomores and I can see both guys being second round picks in the 2018 NBA Draft unless one explodes onto the scene after Dunn leaves next season.


These Providence forwards are gonna have their hands full with Brice Johnson and Justin Jackson. The Marcus Paige VS Kris Dunn matchup will also be a treat. If Providence's forwards can play this well against Johnson and Jackson while Dunn avoids foul trouble while touching 18-20 points, then the Friars have a marginal chance of pulling the upset.


At the end of the day Providence needs to savor this win. After Florida Gulf Coast built momentum against the Tar Heels, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams reminded his guys that this team made the Sweet 16 as a 15 seed and his players became more focused. Williams can use the same mentality against Providence and it will probably work in his favor in the Round of 32. That's it for the Thursday Night recaps. We'll have more recaps tomorrow before the round of 32 recaps on Saturday. For more March Madness coverage click the link below to check out the March Madness bracket as well as picks from our writers so you can comment on our brackets.



Stony Brook VS Kentucky Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


I picked Stony Brook in my bracket because I thought that would be an upset. I knew Kentucky had a good starting five. I guess I just got careless due to the Wildcats early struggles.


Once again, Kentucky head coach John Calipari has his guys playing their best basketball at the right time. That's what makes Kentucky so lethal.


At the same time, Kentucky was very sloppy in the first half of this game. That sloppiness allowed Stony Brook to remain in the game. Twenty nine of the Wildcats' 33 points came from their starting five.


Kentucky can get red hot in the second half and take off. The drawback with Kentucky is they rely way too much on their starters. Teams that have much more disciplined defenses like Indiana and North Carolina will test that and possibly exploit that. If Kentucky can get by their next two opponents you have to love their odds of making the final four. We could easily see Kentucky bandwagon jumpers in a week from now if things go smoothly on Saturday against the Hoosiers.


Jamal Murray began the game 1/9 in the first half with field goals and only 4 points. Murray had as many as 3 to 4 Stony Brook defenders on him. The game plan was to take Murray out of the game to limit the damage.


Kentucky was undisciplined in the first half on offense. Despite that, they made up for it on defense in a big way. Kentucky came so close to a perfect season before losing to Kentucky in the Final 4. I'm not sure what he said at halftime, but he probably knew Kentucky was performing lousy since the Wildcats did much better in the second half.


Skal Labissiere, Alex Poythress, and Isaiah Briscoe stepped up at center, small forward, and point guard. Briscoe and Murray both have the versatility to play either guard spot in the NBA which should help their draft stock.


Kentucky clicked as a team and beat an opponent they were expected to. If anyone on the Wildcats' wants to show they are capable of performing at the next level, they must make a statement against Indiana on Saturday. That's what will separate them from previous Kentucky squads that have succeeded under John Calipari.



Gonzaga VS Seton Hall Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


Domatas Sabonis had 21 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assist. Sabonis is gonna face Jakob Poeltl on Saturday. That's gonna be a great matchup that will test two future NBA Bigs. Gonzaga was clearly the better team in this game despite being the 11 seed. UCLA was an 11 seed in this exact bracket last year where they knocked off 6 seed SMU.



Wichita State VS Arizona Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


A lot of tonights games caused my bracket to be screwed up. I should have went with Wichita State. This team has a proven track record for playing spoiler dating back to 2013. Once again I fell head over heels for Arizona. I always sucker myself into taking Arizona. It's not just that, I usually refuse to pick one of the teams in the round of 68 to get past the round of 64, but the last three years we've seen a winning team from the round of 68 make it to the third round in the round of 32.


The Freddy VanVleet and Ron Baker tandem at guard is fantastic. Both guards combined for 29 points. It may be the NCAA's version of Curry and Klay Thompson. Okay that's most definitely a stretch. What impresses me the most about these two guards is how consistent and reliable they have been in March. Getting to a Final 4 as a freshman, getting to the Sweet 16 to lose to Kentucky as a top seed in 2014, last year they lost another sweet 16 game to Notre Dame. This is a special Wichita State squad and they could very easily end up in the Sweet 16 once again.


I mocked Kaleb Tarczewski in the first round in 2015 before he returned to school. Tarczewski has struggled to score this season as a senior. Tarczewski will be an excellent bench player on defense. He's not going to be an effective starter in the NBA. I think he warrants a second round grade, but he's not someone I'd take in the top 50. Due to the demand of centers, I could see someone reaching for him though.



Fresno State VS Utah Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


Utah led this game 44-33, but Fresno State went on a run to make it a 48-47 game. Utah took the lead and didn't surrender from there. It got so bad that Utah took a 60-50 lead to put the game out of hand.


Jakob Poeltl only had 10 points, 6 points in the first half, and 4 points in the second half before Utah's run. Poeltl finished the game with 16 points and 18 rebounds drawing comparisons to former Utah Ute Andrew Bogut. I've heard some people call him the biggest NBA bust since Shawn Bradley due to his field goal percentage and one of my friends thinks Poeltl may be the Larry Bird of centers in the NBA which is most definitely a stretch despite his 7-1 250 lb size.


Poeltl got enough points to win. He did go 5/11 with field goals in this game and that really limited his ability to deliver as a scorer. Despite this Poeltl got a double double. Now he has to do that against Gonzaga or Seton Hall in the round of 32 this year.



Florida Gulf Coast VS North Carolina Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


Florida Gulf Coast led 11-6 in the first five minutes of this game. After North Carolina went on a 10-0 run to lead 16-11, this game was theirs as they never looked back.


Florida Gulf Coast made it to the Sweet 16 as a 15 seed back in 2013. They played with so much intensity on Tuesday. I honestly think if they drew Oregon they may have done the unthinkable by possibly winning as a 16 seed, but having to win the play in game took its toll on this squad.


I remember some of the freshman on that 2013 team that were seniors heading into today. Those men failed to show that same intensity on the big stage against North Carolina. That's why Florida Gulf Coast's basketball players need to stay in school to get an education rather than risk going pro.


As for North Carolina, the Tar Heels had a field day with their starting five really stepping up. Right now sophomore shooting guard Joel Berry II is the only starter that will return next season. The Tar Heels have a strong core of NBA draft prospects with point guard Marcus Paige, small forward Justin Jackson, power forward Brice Johnson, and center Kennedy Meeks.


Did Florida Gulf Coast ever really have a chance? They were playing to be a 16 seed and this was the one 1 seed they literally had no chance of defeating. The Tar Heels entered this season as the #1 team in the preseason polls, and to top that off, the Tar Heels are my pick to cut down the nets.


I'm a Duke fan, and it would have been sweet to watch the Tar Heels lose. North Carolina like Duke is just too disciplined to lose in the opening round.


Johnson had 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Most NBA Draft experts have Johnson not Paige as the first Tar Heel being drafted now in June. I wasn't sure why people felt that way, but now it's pretty obvious after watching him showcase a variety of skills with shooting, passing, rebounding, and defense.


Marcus Paige the teams best player heading into the preseason had 10 points, led the Tar Heels with 5 assists, and had 4 rebounds which is pretty damn impressive for a point guard. Paige had 1 turnover and Johnson was able to go the entire game without a turnover.


Duke won because of size. North Carolina won because they limited turnovers. The Tar Heels starting five combined for only three turnovers the entire game. Two starters on Florida Gulf Coast had 4 turnovers. There was a lack of spark and synergy on the 2016 Florida Gulf Coast team that the North Carolina squad had.


North Carolina will either get Providence or the 8 seed USC Trojans. I'd love to see Kris Dunn, the top point guard in the country go up against this defense, but at the same time watching the Trojans take on North Carolina would not surprise me. We'll see what happens.



Austin Peay VS Kansas Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


Kansas just destroyed Austin Peay. Guys like Perry Ellis, Wayne Seldin Jr., and Chieck Diallo slaughtered Austin Peay. These 16 VS 1 seed games are so lopsided to the point where they are unwatchable. It's getting to the tipping point where the top seed should get an automatic bid in the round of 32 against much stiffer competition. Kansas has a few NBA prospects with first round ability, but none of these guys are special. If Ellis can continue his dominant play in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, he may sneak into the first round.



North Carolina Wilmington VS Duke Recap

Posted By: Chris Ransom on 3/17/2016


Duke was sloppy in the first half. North Carolina Wilmington took advantage of that. Until the 7-1 250 Marshall Plumlee entered, Duke was very sloppy.


North Carolina Wilmington's biggest player was 6-6. Duke was able to use their size to overwhelm North Carolina Wilmington. It was all about Brandon Ingram scoring easy buckets and jump shots in the first half firing a ton of mid range and long range shots and using that as your main source for points. North Carolina Wilmington deserves a lot of credit for recognizing that.


Duke adjusted in the second half. You saw Plumlee get 19 of his 23 points in the second half as well as Grayson Allen finish with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Ingram had 12 of his 20 points in the first half, but Ingram showed much more variety as a complete player passing the ball, getting rebounds, contesting shots, blocking shots, stealing the basketball to go on the fast break, and displayed all the intangibles you look for in a starting small forward. Ingram's versatility to play point guard, shooting guard, small forward, or power forward is a huge asset. At the same time him being 6-7 195 lbs worked against him because North Carolina wilmington was able to use their bigs to limit his scoring in the second half.


Despite the early struggles, Duke took a ten point lead midway in the second half. At that point, this game was theirs as Duke won 93 to 85 to advance to the round of 32 where they will face the winner of the Yale VS Baylor game.


P.S. Yale defeated Baylor 79 to 75 as another 12 over 5 upset occurred. I expect Duke to reach the Sweet 16. Even if Yale gets to the Sweet 16, I have a hard time see them beating an Oregon or Oklahoma type team. That being said, Duke will have power forward Harry Giles and small forward Jayson Tatum the top 2 high schools recruits in the Class of 2016 on their squad next season and that will make Duke one of the early favorites to cut down the nets in 2017. Center Chase Jeter and point guard Derryck Thornton were 5 star recruits with Ingram in 2015 and both guys were bench players this year. Those guys will probably start with Giles and Tatum in a year from now giving Duke a very strong starting lineup. If Grayson Allen returns with that lineup Duke will cut down the nets in 2017.




Round of 68 Recap: Wichita State and Florida Gulf Coast won on Tuesday. Michigan and Holy Cross prevailed last night. The field of 64 is set.